1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to vehicle governance systems, and more particularly, to a method and system to prevent the unauthorized use of a vehicle.
2. Background Art
The motor vehicle has become an essential component of modern living. Many people own motor vehicles, many more use them, and virtually everyone relies, in one way or another, on the motor vehicle to provide the goods and services that are integral to a modern lifestyle.
Motor vehicles are used, for example, to transport people and goods from place to place in the ordinary course of daily commerce, such as to and from school, to and from work, and to and from stores, restaurants, and entertainment venues. In addition, motor vehicles are an essential part of emergency response procedures. Fire trucks are used to rush firemen and equipment to homes or buildings that are on fire, ambulances are used to rush people to hospitals and other medical facilities, and cars and vans may be used to rush police and other personnel to handle emergency situations.
As is well understood, motor vehicles are in very common use and, in the vast majority of cases, are properly and appropriately used. Vehicle use is, in real terms, controlled by the vehicle user. This is despite the fact that laws and regulations often limit aspects of vehicle use such as speed, driver licensing and carrying capacity. Enforcement of limits is at present retrospective; there are situations where vehicles are used improperly or in an unauthorized way. For instance, there may be the unauthorized use of a vehicle by either an unlicensed driver or a driver holding a restricted license. At the moment, there is no system that allows the use of a vehicle to be limited by, a person's license conditions. So an unlicensed driver can operate a vehicle with no check of the person's license being made and a person can exceed the limits of their license by operating the vehicle in a normal fashion. Currently, the only license validity check is performed when an operator is stopped by police and a physical check of the driver's license is made.